The developer who designed the critically acclaimed Kid Icarus: Uprising has shut its doors recently. Unfortunately, the company has released a statement on their website noting that they closed on June 30, 2012. The company was spawned as a joint venture between Sakurai and Nintendo and funded almost entirely by the Big N.

Kid Icarus: Uprising fills a couple of holes in Nintendo’s arsenal of video game genres. Not only has the series been re-imagined as an on-rails shooter, but Uprising is also a third-person shooter/slasher. These hybridized genres bring a unique mix of untapped video game potential to a Nintendo console. In spite of its steep learning curve and lefty control issues, Kid Icarus: Uprising is an early reason to buy a Nintendo 3DS.

Pit makes his long awaited return to the spotlight later this month in Kid Icarus: Uprising. In an effort to showcase his versatility, not only is he making the move from platformer to frenetic shooter, but the latest game also boasts an extensive augmented reality suite that works off of collectable AR cards. While each new purchase of Uprising will include six random cards, there are plenty of other ways to get your hands on a few that won’t cost you a dime.

Kid Icarus was one of the earliest first party Nintendo games, coming out little more than a year after the full U.S. release of the NES. It holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers, even if most people recognize the protagonist Pit more from his appearance in Super Smash Bros. at this point. In a press release from Nintendo, new details were revealed about the upcoming 3DS game, as well as a special treat for people that pre-order.